Coming Home
by Kavi Leighanna
Summary: When Charlie goes missing, and Don’s a nervous wreck, the only person who can help is the one that got away. Set after Terry goes to Washington. DT.
1. Old Favourite Thing

**Coming Home**

**Summary: **When Charlie goes missing, and Don's a nervous wreck, the only person who can help is the one that got away.

**Disclaimer: **Don't own them. Wish I did. You know the drill. CBS et al. get to play with them in real life. I'm just borrowing them for a bit.

**Note:** This could quite possibly be AU, I'm not completely sure. Just thought I'd leave a warning that if it seems to be off with the show, I apologize. This is just what I wish would happen.

* * *

Agent Don Eppes sat at his desk thinking. While most would agree it was about the file open in front of him, his eyes were looking, but not seeing. Instead, he was focused on something he couldn't fully control, a moment that he would never regret and the woman who got away.

Again.

His ex-girlfriend – which was irrelevant to him – and his best friend had left for Washington to reconcile with her ex-husband… or close to be ex anyway. Well, that's what he'd thought at the time. However, Terry Lake seemed intent on looking at the possibilities. And those possibilities were all miles away from him. He wasn't impressed with that.

He knew Terry, and Terry wouldn't run. She had her reasons for going. While he wanted to respect that, and her decision, he hadn't wanted her to leave. It was his main reason for inviting her to his apartment for a last drink before she left. Sure, he had ulterior motives, but he would stick with his story thankyouverymuch.

Of course, there was alcohol and consumed in generous amounts by both parties. He couldn't remember who'd jumped whom, but he could vividly remember her body under his and the emptiness when he woke up the next morning to find her gone. Unlike Terry, she hadn't left a note or any sign of where she'd gone, or if she was coming back. The only testament to her presence was the faint smell of her in his sheets and the bottles still laying on the coffee table.

He was too chicken to call and tell her he wanted her in his life, that he loved her and she couldn't go back to him . Instead, he stewed in his own regret; the regret that he didn't tell her sooner…

The regret that he didn't tell her at all.

It was a bitter, uncomfortable regret.

**

* * *

**

Agent Terry Lake had managed to find a fairly cheap Washington apartment – she wasn't ready to move back in with her husband yet – and was currently sitting on the couch, trying to bring herself up to speed with her team's current cases. However, she couldn't concentrate for the life of her.

She kept picturing his eyes as he moved over her, the tenderness in his gaze and in his hands as he sent her crashing over the edge. It wasn't helping her resolve. She'd set her sights on coming here, after all, and settling things with her husband. Nevertheless, it was going to be mighty difficult if she couldn't stop thinking of Don Eppes.

Knowing him, he never actually planned for them to sleep together on the night before she was supposed to leave for Washington. If he had something planned, he executed it like a trained military professional. Or, at the very least, as the well-trained FBI agent he was. This had been impulsive.

She couldn't say she minded all that much.

He still made her feel special, still made her feel like the prettiest girl in the room and still worshipped her like he had in their days at the Academy. Sure, Terry understood they'd been much younger then, but she treasured every moment with him in the video storage of her mind.

Like any other sane person, Don had an effect on her, one that she decided she wasn't against. It was annoying for her to think about it. It brought back pleasant memories that weren't constructive to any reconciliation in the near future.

Damn that man.

**

* * *

**

Don was surprised when the phone rang. Sure, he was rarely at his apartment, but at the same time, when he was, people just didn't call. Quickly he went though all the possibilities as he searched for the offending device.

Charlie?

No, he knew when Don was at his apartment he wasn't to be interrupted. Plus, Charlie was too busy working on some problem for Larry with Amita…

His dad?

He was at book club.

Work?

He'd just closed a case.

"Eppes."

"Don?" The voice was tiny but he would recognize it in a second.

"Terry?"

"Yeah, its me." His pulse jumped.

"What's up?" Immediately, Don was on edge. If Terry was calling him all the way from Washington, something important must have happened.

"Nothing's wrong," she said, and Don couldn't help smiling at how well she knew him. "I just…" Don waited patiently for a few minutes.

"You just…" She sighed.

"Nothing… it was stupid of me to call."

"Terry, you called for a reason. If you don't want to tell me that's fine," he said, too happy to just talk to her to push her. "How's Washington?"

"Expensive." He chuckled.

"That bad?"

"Not bad, per se. Different. There's a lot of things that I don't have the liberty of here that I did in LA." There was a split second silence, not for a lack of things to say but for Don to keep back the scathing things he wanted to say about the move.

"You'll adapt. You always did." They talked for a while longer, content to hear the other's voice and talk about the inconsequential things that best friends talked about. Finally, it was getting way to late for either of them to be up and still be human in the morning. Reluctantly, they both hung up.

It set a standard. They started to call each other once a week and daily e-mails became a common occurrence. Don heard about her husband, the good and the bad and Terry heard about Charlie, Alan and the rest of the team.

But it was all just the calm before the storm.

* * *

**_Just to let you know, I'm not all that sure about this story. Let me know how you like the beginning because it'll be really big for how I write it. You're feedback would help so much._**


	2. Back Where I Came From

**Coming Home**

Usually, Terry was the one to call Don and usually it was on his cell. Thus, when she heard the familiar chirp of her cell – ringing his tone that she hadn't reprogrammed yet – she was shocked. Excusing herself from the conversation she was in the middle of, she picked up.

"Hey," she greeted. There was silence on the line for a few minutes.

"Don?" She heard the heavy breath on the other end of the line signifying he was there. "What's up?"

"He's gone," he said after a few minutes. Terry was confused.

"Who?" Don was silent again.

"Talk to me, Don," she requested softly.

"Ch-Charlie." Terry felt her blood run cold. It was an unfamiliar, uncomfortable feeling and Terry didn't want to believe Charlie Eppes was missing. She dropped into the closest chair, coincidentally her own, and vaguely hoped no one saw. Don's breath was shaking over the line and Terry realized how silent she'd been. It was around the same time she realized Don, usually strong, was crying. She made a decision, shoving her own fears to the back of her mind in favour of being strong for him.

"Hey, you'll get him back," she tried, reassuringly. Don't took a few minutes to compose himself.

"How can you be so sure?" Terry smiled at his insecurity even if she thought about the best way to respond to the question.

_Because I'm the queen of the world and I order it to be so,_ she thought, well aware of the how much she wished it was true.

"I have faith." She spent a few more minutes calming him down before she hung up. It was only then that Terry allowed herself a boneless slump in her chair.

"Terry?" She looked up to find her friend, and fellow agent, Heather Jordan.

"You good?"

"Yeah."

"Good. We've got a new one."

Terry called Don more frequently now, worried that he would do something drastic and/or ridiculous. However, his deterioration didn't prepare her for the call from David.

"Lake," she answered swiftly, again stepping away from a briefing session with her team. Heather would fill her in later.

"Terry, David Sinclair."

"David, hi. What can I do for you?" He took a deep breath that Terry heard. Now worried, she took another precautionary step away from the others.

"David… you're scaring me here."

"You've got to find some way to get here." Terry, in her confusion, switched the phone to her other ear.

"What?"

"He's a mess, Terr. He's thrown himself into his work, I really don't know the last time he slept or talked to his dad…"

"Who?" She knew her voice told of her trepidation.

"Don." Terry sighed. She'd denied the possibilities of this call if only because she kept in constant and close contact with Don.

"How bad?" she asked softly.

"He does nothing but work. I don't know if he goes home…" Terry didn't need to hear anymore. In fact, it was breaking her heart to listen.

"How can I help?" This was the part that baffled her.

"I don't know, Terry, but until we find Charlie…"

"How is that?"

"Slow. Amita's been trying to at least make a trail." Terry heard the unspoken end. _It's not the same._

"No calls or anything?"

"No from any kidnappers. The best we can assume is it's in conjunction with another case."

"Any ideas?"

"A few, but the uses for a mathematician aren't that numerous." That was logical.

"I still don't see what I can do," she said, bringing them back to the original reason for the call.

"Neither do I, Terry, but I certainly hope it's something."

"I'm not making any guarantees," she said, eying the end of the conversation of her teammates.

"Fair. I'll talk to you," David responded.

"Yeah. Thanks David." They hung up.

"Heather," she called. The brunette agent turned as the rest of the team departed to run down whatever leads they had.

"You're taking over. I need to have a chat with the higher ups." Heather looked confused, but nodded.

"I'll fill you in later." Terry smiled her thanks as she left for the director's office.

_Also, thanks so much for the reviews, especially since this story was one I felt was going to be sketchy from the beginning. It means the world to me. You guys are awesome._


	3. Bring it on Home

**Coming Home**

* * *

Four days later, Terry was deplaning in LA. She'd managed to secure a temporary transfer to help track Charlie down and on another case of bank issues. Her heels clicked softly on the linoleum that made up the floor of LAX and grimaced at the long walk to baggage claims. Finally, she made it to the outskirts where David was waiting for her.

"Don at the office?" David nodded.

"Has he eaten?" This time he smiled when he shook his head, relief in his eyes.

"Hellow to you too." Terry gave him a small smile.

"I'm sorry, David, you just sounded so worried on the phone."

"We are worried."

"We?"

"The team. Agents Reeves and Colby. He's…" Terry nodded, understanding all that David didn't say. Don had changed and it was grating on the team.

Generally they made the ride to the bureau in silence and it gave Terry the time to think about what was going to happen. She hadn't told Don she was coming from Washington and had only told Heather the real reason she'd pushed for the TAD. David's hand on her arm notified her of their arrival. She looked at him.

"Did you tell him I was coming?"

"No." Terry smiled in relief. They rode up in the elevator and Terry almost jumped when it dinged. She carefully stepped onto the floor. It wasn't hard for her to navigate, she'd only been gone two months, and Don's desk hadn't moved. It certainly looked like he hadn't either. People smiled and waved as she passed and the woman at the desk beside him looked relieved to see her.

"You didn't get their hopes up, did you?" Terry asked out of the corner of her mouth, even as she was holding out her hand for the woman.

"Terry Lake," she introduced softly, acutely aware of the man with his head bent over his files. She'd never been more thankful for the regular hustle and bustle of a bullpen.

"Megan Reeves. Colby's out chasing down leads." The latter half of the words were directed towards David.

"Charlie?" Terry asked, her eyes on Don's bent head.

"We've been looking for three weeks with nothing. We've had case up on case, but nothing truly productive and nothing we can link a mathematician to. We don't tell Don when something comes up anymore, just in case there's nothing to it," Megan explained. Terry nodded.

"We're going to find him," she responded, "I'm just going to clear things with Merrick, then I'm taking him home." David and Megan nodded as she walked away.

Terry knocked on the door to Director Merrick's office with less worry than her brain told her she should be feeling. He called her in and she smiled.

"Agent Lake, welcome back."

"Thank you, sir." Terry looked at her old boss and resisted the urge to hit someone. She could read the relief on his face and wondered how bad Don had really gotten.

"You've been transferred."

"Temporarily," she agreed.

"To the Eppes case. Are you sure that's a good idea?" This is what Terry had been worried about. She'd been personally connected to Charlie when he'd come and work with Don and worried that it would mean she couldn't be assigned the case.

"With all due respect, sir, I need to do this," she began. On the flight she'd put together a speech on why she wanted to help find Charlie and was now prepared to launch into it. However, Merrick only nodded his head, against everything she'd imagined he'd do.

"We need new eyes on the case. You have another one?"

"Banks. Nothing extremely worth while." Merrick nodded looking down at the information in front of him.

"Townsend is working the Eppes case. Tell him you're the new eyes. He can take a break for a bit." Terry was stunned.

"Sir, you're letting me run the investigation?"

"For a while, anyway. Three weeks on a missing person's case has given many of us doubts of finding him alive." Terry winced at the thought of a dead Charlie and Don's reaction.

"Thank you, sir."

"That'll be all." Terry stood and moved to leave, but paused as she opened the door.

"If it's okay, I'd like to take Agent Eppes home," she requested. Merrick nodded, today being uncharacteristically kind.

"I expect him back tomorrow." Terry nodded, closing the door and returning to the bullpen, a satisfied grin on her face. Don hadn't moved, but both David and Megan were sitting at their respective desks. She moved past them and settled her hands on Don's shoulders.

"I hear sleep and food are good for you," she teased into his ear. Don looked up sharply at her voice.

"Terry? What are you doing here?" The happiness in his tone was obvious, even if the pain was still in his eyes.

"They called in the cavalry," she joked. He seemed slightly out of it and Terry was extremely worried.

"Cavalry?" She shook her head as he looked at her blankly.

"Come on. I'm taking you home."

"I can't, Terry…"

"Don't argue with me. We're getting you some food and then you're going to sleep."

"I'm working…"

"You're overworking. You can do this the easy way, or the hard way, but you're leaving and not coming back until you've eaten something half decent and gotten twelve hours of sleep. I will frog march you out of here, if I have to." Her tone left no room for argument and Don knew she'd follow through on her threats. She stopped him when he moved to pick up some of his files.

"No files for you. Out." Most of the bullpen was watching now, all of them aware that Don had taken his missing brother extremely hard. He'd been snappish and short with all of them, no tolerance for anything. Terry was a welcome breath of fresh air, if only because she was one of the few that would be able to keep Don in line until they found the younger brother.

She followed him to the elevator, keeping a hand on his arm as they waited. Once they were in the elevator, Don leaning heavily against the wall. She took the chance to look at him carefully.

"You're a mess, Don," she said softly. Had it come from anyone else, Don probably would have been angry, but Terry could get away with murder when it came to him. Instead, it made him actually think about what he'd done over the last three weeks.

Had he known Terry was coming, he would have cleaned up, at least tried to be presentable and not look as exhausted as he felt. Or as pained. Charlie's disappearance had taken a toll on him and it was showing, apparently. Of course, Terry knew him better than almost anyone else, so it wasn't surprising that she saw how hopeless he was becoming.

They stepped off the elevator together and Terry held out her hand. Don stared at it bewildered. She cleared her throat and look at him expectantly as they walked into the parking lot. Then he understood and dug the keys out from his pocket, handing them to her.

"Alright, any particular place you want to go?" she asked. He smiled… sort of.

"You're the guest." Terry rolled her eyes as she turned the corner at a green light.

"It's your funeral then," she said playfully. Finally she pulled into a burger joint not far from his apartment.

"Let's go. The faster we eat, the faster you sleep," she stated as she climbed out of the truck. Don took a moment, realizing there was some fault in her logic but much to tired to question it. He climbed out and followed her into the building. They ordered and sat on the plastic benches as they dug in.

"Terry, why are you here?" The question took her by surprise and she really wasn't prepared to answer. However, his question wasn't finished.

"Why did you come?" She took a few minutes to formulate her answer, debating whether or not she should be telling him that she was there to find Charlie.

"I've been temporarily reassigned," she started carefully. "There's few cases that carried over down here." As she finished, she knew it wasn't the answer he'd wanted to hear. She would drag herself down to California on TAD if there wasn't another, more solid reason behind it.

"Terry…" she held up a hand.

"I know it's not the answer you want to hear, Don, but right now, it's all I'm going to give you." She expected him to argue, to put up some resistance, but he didn't. His entire body sang with his exhaustion. Suddenly, she was worried if he was going to make it home.

"Hey, done?" she asked softly, knowing full well that the half a burger in front of him said he wasn't. However, she was sure he was going to fall asleep in said burger if he didn't get him home soon. In fact, she didn't give him time to agree or disagree, just wrapped up the food and walked closely beside him to the car. He'd fallen asleep before she'd turned the first corner. She smiled at his sleeping face when she stopped at a red light. She was pretty sure it was the first time he'd slept at least in the last week. She decided on his apartment, worried that Charlie's house would bring too many memories to his mind. She sat in the parking lot of his apartment for a few moments before she shook him gently, waking him up.

"Don, come on. We're home." She made sure to tuck him into bed before she settled on his couch, going through the files from Charlie's case and the bank one. It was, after all, late afternoon. There was still a few hours before she'd be tired…


	4. You'll See

**Coming Home

* * *

**

When Don woke up, sunlight was streaming through his window, regardless of the blinds that were closed. Wait, closed? He couldn't remember closing them last night. Then again, he couldn't remember much of the week except the bone-gnawing exhaustion at every turn. It was why the woman asleep on his couch surprised him. He tried to be quiet as he rummaged through his cabinets for coffee and two mugs but something woke her.

"Morning," she said from the doorway, hair still tousled from sleep and clad in her pyjamas. He resisted the memories bombarding his brain about how she'd looked on his bed sheets two months ago. It was then a lot more of his memory had returned and he recalled why he had been so tired.

Charlie was missing.

She saw the breakdown before it happened but it didn't prepare her for it any better. His head dropped to his chest and his arms folded across his body. Terry was sure she'd never seen him look more vulnerable in her life, regardless of how hard he was trying to be strong. Wordlessly she wrapped her arms around him and sighed when his pulled her closer.

"He's gone," he whispered after a while.

"He's missing, not gone. We're going to find him."

"We are? You're so sure." Terry nodded decisively as her mouth curved in a smile.

"I'm the queen of the world, remember? The world follows my orders." She managed to get a smile and was endlessly thankful for that.

"Hop in the shower. I told Merrick I'd have you back at work today," she said, breaking away from his arms. Sure, they felt heavenly around her and she'd managed to push back the memories of the last time, but she wasn't a bloody saint. It was going to be a long case.

**

* * *

**

He emerged to wonderful smells in his apartment. Wandering to the kitchen, forgetful of his half naked state, he found Terry, completely domestic in his kitchen. She was humming a song as she worked, the pile of pancakes growing slowly larger beside her. When she turned to his fridge to gather up the toppings, she jumped.

"Don! I didn't see you there," she said with a disarming smile, her eyes glancing down his body as she bent over into the fridge. She was thankful for the cool air of the appliance and for the way the door blocked her face.

"What's cooking?"

"Pancakes. We're not leaving until you've eaten," she said forcefully.

"Not hungry," he growled out, stomping out of the room and into his bedroom to get dressed. She gave him a few minutes to at least put pants on before she followed, knocking on the door to make sure he was decent.

"You're not leaving until you do."

"You're not my mother, or my girlfriend, Terry."

"No, I'm not, but I am concerned for you."

"Well thanks, but I can take care of myself." She knew he'd be snappy and distant and hadn't fooled herself that because she was there it would change. She was smarter than that. Thus, she took his words with a grain of salt, understanding that he was under a lot of stress.

"But you're not," she said succinctly. "You slept about eighteen hours, Don."

"Eighteen…? You let me sleep that long?" His voice was growing louder, even if she kept hers quiet.

"It doesn't even begin to make up for the sleep you've lost over the last three weeks," she shot back. "I'm surprised you're not deathly ill the way you've been carrying on."

"Carrying on? My brother is missing," he was yelling now. Terry folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the bedroom doorway as he angrily shuffled through his closet for a shirt. For a minute, she considered telling him she was assigned to his case but immediately thought better of it. She didn't want to disappoint him if she couldn't solve it.

"I know, Don," she said softly.

"You care more about me than you do about Charlie." Terry resisted the urge to roll her eyes and breathed deeply. Her next words were either going to get her killed or deflate him completely.

"You're my best friend," she began. "Plus, Charlie wouldn't want you sleep deprived and starving." She was thankful her words did the latter. He dropped to his bed, head in his hands. She moved to his closet, shuffling through the shirts until she found her favourite, a blue one that he didn't wear that often. She held it out for him.

"I'm sorry, Terry," he said, looking up at her and the shirt. She smiled.

"It's okay," she replied.

"I'm just really stressed with Charlie's disappearance…"

"Don, I said it was fine," she said with an indulgent smile. "Let's go eat before it gets cold. Then I can grab my shower and you can drive us into the office."

"You're coming in?"

"Unfortunately I did not just come here to make sure you don't kill yourself or anyone else," she answered, her smile still in place.

"I can take care of myself just fine," he said indignantly, shrugging the shirt over his shoulders.

"Right," she replied sarcastically. "That's why I found you at your desk yesterday half asleep and dying of starvation."

"I was not dying of starvation."

"When was the last time you ate before the burger yesterday?" she asked over her shoulder. His lack of reply made her grin smugly.

"And you're not denying being half asleep."

"Am I ever fully awake?" he called back, tie open around his neck when he entered the kitchen.

"Not good enough," she answered. "You need a better excuse than that."

"I give up."

"Damn time!" She set breakfast on the table and pulled up a chair. "You joining me?"

"Considering you're keeping me here until I eat…" he trailed off, the pain coming back into his eyes. She closed her eyes and opened them again, careful to keep the pity hidden. It gave her fuel for her fire of determination. A family like the Eppes' didn't deserve to have another one leave them. She wasn't even sure Don would be able to handle it.

"Come on. Eat." They ate in silence, more because Don was sulking again than because that was the way they wanted it. Finally, she settled her knife and fork on her plate.

"Do you mind cleaning up?" she asked softly. "The extras can go in the freezer to toast up sometime. I'm going to hop in the shower." He nodded and she left, waiting until she was around the corner to slump against the wall for a moment. She missed the friendly banter, and missed the teasing while she was in Washington. It wasn't the same over the phone and she couldn't see his face when she was right in a comment.

She missed him.

Shaking the thought off she proceeded to the bedroom where she'd hung up her clothes the night before while Don slept. Hopefully he didn't mind sharing his closet for a little while. It wasn't as if she'd planned on it. She thought about him as the water pounded down on her body, about his fragile brain. Cases weren't good for him right now and she made a mental note to ask Merrick to go light on the kidnapping cases until Charlie was found and his kidnappers caught.

He was waiting for her on the couch when she stepped out of the bathroom, fully clothed and bringing a trail of faint rose with her. Her files were neatly stacked under the table and quite obviously – and thankfully – he hadn't found them.

"You ready?"

"Yeah. Your travel mug is on the counter." She blushed as she thanked him. She'd purposefully brought her own mug, having never trusted the FBI coffee and not wanting to intrude on Don.

"I recognize it from somewhere," he commented offhandedly. She blushed again, this time because he'd noticed.

"Yeah." He picked it up from the counter, carrying it while she handled her files. He lifted it up to his eye level in the elevator.

"I gave you this! After you complained about the coffee in the student lounge." Her blush deepened in colour.

"Yeah." She looked straight ahead, not trusting herself to look at him.

"I'm honoured you love it so much."

_And you,_ she thought to herself, willing her blush to subside. Then the thought passed through her mind again and she froze.

"Terry?" She looked at him, hoping everything was suitably masked.

"Yeah?"

"You okay?" She smiled.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He returned her smile, though hers was much larger.

**

* * *

**

She'd allowed Don to drive, knowing full well he'd just been too exhausted to argue with her the night before. She didn't mind, in fact, she was grateful for it.

"Don?" she asked tentatively as they pulled into the FBI parking lot.

"Yeah?" She blushed again and almost hit herself for this new tendency.

"You… you don't mind me staying with you, right?" He was surprised by the question.

"Of course not. I did assume last night was one time only, I'll admit, but of course not," he stuttered out. She nodded and pulled open the door to her side of the car. He helped her with her files.

"Moving in?" he asked playfully as he hefted the box.

"It's not that bad, you sissy," she retorted. "And you were the one that insisted on carrying it inside while I handled the life-giving substance." Her statement was punctuated with a gulp from her mug. They joked all the way to the elevator and Terry noticed the wondrous looks on the faces of the reception desk. Quite obviously he'd been a sour apple for a while and not only to his teammates and floor mates.

"Terry," he said softly when they were in the elevator. By the look on his face she was thankful there was no one else in the car.

"Yeah?"

"I'd appreciate it if you stayed with me." Before she could reply the doors dinged their arrival and he was out into the bullpen. He dropped the box on his desk

"I'll go ask Merrick where I am and be by to pick those up," she said. "Don't kill anyone?"

"I'll try, but I make to guarantees," he promised. She smiled as she walked away. Hopefully, though she didn't know how she did it, he'd be okay for the day. She'd bandage some more wounds tonight.

**

* * *

**

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you all remember Agent Lake?" Terry was in a case briefing, John Townsend in front of his team. There was a general murmur of greeting.

"She will be taking over for me for a while. I will be taking a little of my vacation time, so I expect the same respect from all of you towards her as if it was me in front of you. Not that I think she can't handle the job herself." Terry smiled at his vote of confidence. She'd worked with all the agents once or twice but very few of them in a full capacity.

"Okay. You have your assignments, get lost. Haynsworth, Barrenada, and Gulle stay behind please." Terry looked questioningly towards Townsend but he motioned towards the standing agents.

"This is my core team. Alison Gulle, Anthony Barrenada and Caleb Haynsworth." Terry almost sagged in relief at the last name. She and Caleb had worked together before, on what seemed like a never-ending case, and developed a dynamic that worked for them. They were as close as siblings and Terry cherished his presence. He would keep her grounded.

"Terry," she requested.

"All right. You know the stakes. Find Dr. Eppes. Haynsworth, brief Lake." Townsend was gone out the door along with the other two agents. She and Caleb faced each other.

"Never thought I'd see you back in LA," Caleb stated with a smug smile.

"I didn't think I'd be back in LA," she answered.

"So Washington's working?" She avoided his eyes.

"That bad?" She smiled.

"Just not used to it. How far are you guys on finding Charlie?" He looked up at the use of the doctor's first name.

"Right, I forgot you worked with him and his brother." Terry narrowed her eyes.

"Liar." He shrugged.

"What does it matter?" His smile was smug and irritated Terry to no end.

"The case, Haynsworth," she growled out.

"Keep your shirt on, Lake. We don't know much. He'd been missing three weeks and we honestly have no clue where to start. The guy's a math genius, there isn't much use for them."

"And we would have gotten a call if it was a ransom," she finished.

"Yeah. That's the long story of the case." Terry groaned. This was probably going to take much more time than she'd allotted.

**

* * *

**

A week later, Terry looked up at a knock to find Alison Gulle standing in the door.

"Agent Lake? This is for you, about the bank cases."

"Thanks," Terry said as she retrieved the file and opened it. In two second she was on the phone.

"Amita, it's Terry Lake. I need you to come take a look at something."


	5. Come a Little Closer Charlie

**Coming Home**

* * *

Amita had been surprised to hear Terry's voice on the phone and questioned the agent as soon as she got to the building.

"I thought you were in Washington."

"Yeah. I begged the director to let me do this case. It's the least I can do for Don and Mr. Eppes."

"What did you want me to look at?" Terry opened the file and turned it to face the black-haired woman.

"The algorithm. Does it remind you of something?" Amita looked at it closely before her eyes widened.

"Looks like Charlie's from the case with the missing girl. But that wasn't a real working algorithm."

"Is it possible to modify it to make it work?" Amita looked at the document again, running her hand down along the numbers.

"The techs pulled that from the hacker."

"Do you have a list of the banks hit?" she asked suddenly. Terry nodded, withdrawing another sheet of paper from another file. Amita looked down the list, eyes widening as she went.

"Terry, Charlie worked on computer security systems for all of these banks."

"They're all government institutions with the richest clients. It doesn't surprise me." Then Terry understood.

"They kidnapped Charlie to hack into the banks and electronically transfer money." She stood up to run the news down to the techs so they could start tracking an account number for the transferred money. Then turned back.

"Can you track the money back to the original IP address?" She asked.

"Can _I_?" Terry moved back to the woman.

"I know how much Charlie means to you. I'm giving you the chance to help on this case."

"Are you serious?" Terry nodded.

"I… don't know if I could."

"Work on the case or track the address?"

"Tracking the address is the easy part. Not to mention with the stuff they're using they're going to need some serious coolant to keep the monitors running while they do the complex hacking. Even with the creator of the system it doesn't make it easier, really. Charlie has to ask the banks to let him in so he can fix bugs in the system…"

"Amita," Terry stopped her. "It's up to you whether or not you work on this case. We're not going to force you if you don't want to."

"Charlie would have done it for me," she said finally. Terry grinned and motioned for her to follow.

"Terry!" She stopped, almost with a growl, and turned to face the approaching Caleb.

"Have you ever heard of someone named Raymond Dannacher?" Terry narrowed her eyes in thought.

"Not that I can recall, why?"

"Um…" Amita spoke up tentatively. "He did some computer work for Charlie once. We were working on my thesis at the time." Terry nodded in reassurance. This was good.

"You remember him?" Amita nodded.

"He wouldn't leave me alone while he was there. Plus, he kept glancing around the room at Charlie's work. You know how he leaves it all up on the boards." Again, Terry nodded.

"His name came up when we were searching though possible kidnappers. He's got a couple attempted kidnappings on his rap sheet," he finished. "Hello." Amita smiled shyly.

"Amita Ramajuan, Caleb Haynsworth. Haynsworth, this is Amita," Terry introduced, a look warning Caleb to stay away from the woman. Caleb smiled and said a polite 'pleased to meet you' before turning back to Terry.

"You want to tag along?" Terry rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

"I'm just going to take Amita down to our techs. The algorithm Gulle brought me is Charlie's from a previous case."

"Good luck," Caleb said pressing the elevator button and waiting with them.

"On what?" Terry elbowed Caleb hard enough to make him wince.

"The rumour mill's been working overtime again?" she asked sweetly. Caleb only nodded, knowing better than to antagonize Terry when she was violent.

"Don't listen to anything people say. Most of them are really nice, if a little territorial."

"Any computer geek is," Amita replied with a grin, lifting the bag at her hip slightly. "It's why I have mine." The doors opened on none other than Don Eppes.

"Amita! I didn't know you were here," Don said as they boarded the car.

"I needed her help on something," Terry replied vaguely. She'd forgotten to mention to Amita that Don was not to know she was on Charlie's case. The pain flashed in his eyes and she knew the feeling. As great as Amita was, she wasn't Charlie and never would be. Still, Terry liked the woman and if she could be of any help, Terry wanted her on board. Caleb stepped off at the ground floor but Don stayed on making Terry curious.

"Don?" He wasn't looking at either woman.

"Dad called." Terry absorbed the news carefully.

"He asked about dinner tonight." Terry and Amita exchanged glances.

"Dinner?" Terry asked anxiously.

"He wants me to come for dinner."

"That's great isn't it?" Don shrugged as the elevator stopped and Amita and Terry moved to get out. She looked back at him before stepping out.

"Give me ten and we'll get some food?" Don nodded silently and she graced him with an encouraging smile. The doors closed and Terry was off to find the tech that had provided her with the algorithm.

**

* * *

**

She made it to Don's desk in under ten minutes and sat on the edge while he finished up a phone call. Megan was working away at her desk and David wasn't around. The other agent was there. He spotted her and made his way over.

"Sorry, I don't believe we've met." Terry smiled, knowing full well Don and David had probably talked about her in the past.

"Terry Lake. I apologize for the late introduction, I've been a little caught up in my case." He smiled as he shook her hand.

"No worries. Colby Granger. It's a pleasure to meet you after everything we've heard." He chanced a glance at Don, who had one ear plugged to block out their conversation.

"I'm glad you're here. He seems better from yesterday." Terry shrugged.

"I don't know if I did anything," she answered honestly. "He slept and ate."

"And it always makes us all feel a little bit more human," Colby answered wisely and Terry laughed. It wasn't much longer before Don hung up. Terry's attention was immediately directed at him and away from Colby, something that didn't go unnoticed by Colby or Megan, sitting within observation distance.

"Ready to go? I'm starved," she said, pushing herself off the desk. He looked at her disbelievingly.

"You ate almost more than I did at breakfast this morning," he said. Terry shrugged.

"That's only because your stomach shrunk because you're not taking care of yourself," she answered, the superiority of her tone making him smile.

"Okay, smart ass, let's go." He placed his hand automatically on her lower back as they walked towards the elevator, Terry telling some sort of animated story while Don listened. Megan and Colby looked at each other.

"You think it'll work this time?" Colby asked.

"If he's not stupid enough to let it go again," Megan responded.

"Terry and Don?" David asked knowingly, having returned from his errand and dropping a file on Don's desk. "There was a betting pool before Terry moved away…"

**

* * *

**

"Okay, tell me about dinner," she said when they were comfortably seated in a booth in the café around the corner. Neither had wanted to go too far for work-related reasons.

"Dad wants me to come."

"And you don't want to."

"Don't start profiling me," he all but growled.

"I'm not," she said calmly. "It's written all over your face. Why?"

"Huh?" He tried to hide behind the menu, but Terry knew better and pulled it away from him.

"Why do you not want to go?"

"Terry…"

"Don…" Her tone was scarier than his was and both were well aware he'd never hurt her. Don wouldn't give in.

"I want to understand, Don," she said softly. "I want to know what your problem is with your childhood home."

"It's Charlie's."

"So?"

"So, I don't want to think about him being somewhere that's not home." Terry nodded as she considered his words.

"I can go with you, if you want." Don shook his head.

"I'm not going to pull you into this." She smiled and settled her hand over his, letting him know her next words weren't meant to be of insult.

"I'm all ready in this, Don. The moment you called me, remember?"

"I'm sorry about that."

"What's there to be sorry about? I was honoured you reached out to me." He looked down at the table, drawing abstract patters on the top.

"I didn't know whom else to call," he admitted finally. "Dad was having a hard enough time as it was without my issues adding to it. It wouldn't have been fair to him."

"Don, I'm fine with it. I'm glad you called to tell me." He gave her a small smile.

"You would have tanned my hide if you found out Charlie was missing and we hadn't told you." She grinned in reply, showing how true the statement was. However, the grin faded and she was forced to bring them back to the original topic.

"You have to face it sometime, Don. Whether it's now or later, you're going to have to walk into that house comfortable in it." He hated when she was right.

"You'll really come with me?" She nodded solemnly.

"I promise. I'm here to help," she vowed. They were interrupted by her ringing phone. It was Caleb, whom she'd call to let him know she wouldn't be accompanying him to Dannacher's last known address.

"Lake."

"No Dannacher but we've got a sister, Alexis. Says she hasn't seen him in two weeks, but she's lying."

"Okay. Give me fifteen minutes to finish up my lunch and we'll have a chat with her. By then Amita should have been able to track the IP address of the hacking computer."

"Sounds good, thanks Lake."

"Always. Keep out of trouble until I get there."

"What are we doing with Ms. Dannacher?" Terry's grin turned evil.

"Let her stew."


	6. Nowhere I'd Rather Be

**Coming Home

* * *

**

Terry made her way into observation where Caleb was already staring through the one-way mirror.

"We pulled her in on drug related charges. Found coke on the kitchen counter, though she's not high," he said, filling her in. Terry nodded, looking the woman over.

"What do we know?"

Caleb flipped open the folder in front of him. "Alexis Dannacher, 39, older sister to Raymond Dannacher and says she hasn't seen him in two weeks."

Terry nodded as she continued to look at the woman. "Why is she lying?"

"Huh?"

"How can you say she's lying? What's the evidence?" To Terry, the woman seemed anxious, yes, but she wasn't ready to write that up to nervousness of being caught in a lie.

"You can see it."

Terry raised an eyebrow but didn't respond. Instead she made her way into the room.

"Miss Dannacher, Agent Lake," she introduced, sitting across the table from her. Alexis' brown eyes widened.

"They weren't my drugs! It wasn't my coke! I don't know…"

Terry held up a hand with a gentle smile. "I don't care about the drugs right now, Miss Dannacher."

"Alexis. My last name reminds me of my brother."

This caught Terry's attention. "You're not a fan of his?"

Alexis started playing with her hands. "Ray got screwed up a few years back, moved in with the wrong crowd. He'd just been fired from his job and he dropped out of high school. I stopped trying to clean him up."

Terry nodded, filing this all away to jot down later. "Was he ever into any crimes?"

"I know about his arrests for kidnapping, but he didn't do it. As screwed up as he is, Ray really couldn't hurt anyone."

Terry found this news unbelievable. "Alexis, I need you to think about the last time you saw your brother. It's important."

"Two weeks ago."

"What did he say? Can you remember?"

"He told me he was going away for a while with a few of his friends. I begged him not to go, if only because I didn't want to see him hurt."

"Can you remember where he said he was going?"

Alexis shook her head. "Only that he'd have to lay low for a while so I shouldn't call him or contact him in anyway." She shrugged. "It wasn't as if we were the closest of siblings and he always called me. I have a family, Agent Lake, I don't need them getting mixed up in all that."

"You didn't change your name?"

Alexis smiled sarcastically. "I never said I was married."

Terry nodded in understanding. "Have you been in contact with your brother since he left?"

Alexis was silent for a few moments, for all intents and purposes thinking. Terry knew of better actors though and saw right through. She was debating on whether or not to tell the truth.

"He called. About 4 days ago saying he was going to send Amanda and I some money."

"Did he?"

"Yeah, twenty-five thousand each. Deposited it directly into our accounts, well, Amanda's education fund, though I don't know how. Ray's never been that bright."

"Did any of his friends, any of them, excel in computers?"

She thought about it for a few moments. "Not that I know of. One had a brother that could hack into anything, I think."

"You wouldn't know the name of that brother, would you?"

"Adam Kay," she answered. Terry jotted the name down to run through the system.

"Thanks, Alexis. You're free to go. Let us know if you hear from him, please," Terry said, presenting the other woman with her card.

"Thanks." Terry made her way back into the observation room where Caleb was.

"You didn't call her on her lie," he stated. Terry shrugged.

"She wasn't lying. She seriously doesn't think her brother could do anything harmful, regardless of his past record. She sees him as the perfect little brother, the one that all older sisters wish they had. To her, he can do no wrong." They were silent for a minute, looking into the empty room.

"I'm going to run down Adam Kay, see how he ties in," he said suddenly, breaking the silence.

"Great. I'm going to see if they got an address for the computer. Make sure to cross reference any addresses…"

"With the companies that sell large amounts of coolants," he finished. "I heard Amita."

Terry smiled. "Thanks, Haynsworth. I'm glad you're on this one."

"You too, Lake. Don't work yourself too hard. I'll call you if we find something important."

**

* * *

**

As promised, Terry went along with Don to his father's house for dinner.

"Terry! This is a pleasant surprise," Alan Eppes explained when she preceded Don into the living room.

"I couldn't miss a home cooked meal," Terry responded with a genuine smile.

"Well, give me a minute to set the extra place," he told her, already moving to get the required setting.

"Mr. Eppes, its fine. I'm sure I can remember where everything is. The two of you can behave yourselves for a few minutes, can't you?" Her last sentence was directed mainly at Don, who hadn't spoken a word since they'd left his apartment. He rolled his eyes at her, well aware of her teasing tone. Terry only grinned, adding an extra spring to her step as she made her way to the kitchen. Even with the clink of the dishes and silverware she tried her best to keep an ear on the conversation, but Alan Eppes knew his son too well.

"You haven't been around."

Terry could almost see Don nodding his head, not meeting his father's gaze.

"Don, I don't blame you for Charlie's disappearance, or for lack of progress in the case. Agent Haynsworth has been able to keep me up to date until this point."

"I know, Dad."

"It's not the reason you haven't been by?" The shocked tone of Alan's voice surprised Terry and she paused where she was setting her plate down. She'd never known the perceptive man to jump to conclusions, especially about his sons. There were things that he knew about Don that Terry didn't and she respected that. The fact that Don knew he wasn't blamed for Charlie's disappearance – which shocked her too – and Alan's automatic assumption that it was the reason Don didn't stop by amazed her.

"Of course not."

There was a pause. Terry made sure to clink some of the silverware as she set them down, whether Don knew she was eavesdropping or not.

"This is _Charlie's _house, Dad."

Terry closed her eyes and settled her hands to brace her body against the table. Some of Charlie's math things had been distributed over the living room table. Only now did it register to Terry. Before they could get any deeper into the inner workings of Don's twisted logic – not only had she tried to go there before and returned a little worse for wear but she knew he wasn't a fan of the prying – she returned to the living room, taking a seat beside Don.

"How have you been, Mr. Eppes?" Her question held a double meaning, as most did these days.

"Physically, I'm fine. Emotionally…" He didn't have to finish the sentence. It was going to be hard for all of them. The longer Charlie was away the harder it was going to be to continue to believe he was alive. Terry swallowed and closed her eyes, preparing herself to lie to a family she adored.

"I'm sure the team is doing all they can," she said delicately. Suddenly, Don slammed his fist down on the coffee table and stood.

"Well it's not good enough."

Terry watched in shock as he stormed out to the backyard. Alan didn't look as surprised and just sighed, standing to go after his son. Terry, however, held up a hand. "It's fine, Mr. Eppes. He's been snappy all week. I'm used to it."

"It doesn't give him the right to do it."

"No, but it's his stress relief," she answered calmly, wondering why she, of all people, was in the process of running interference with the two men, especially since they were going through virtually the same thing. "I understand where he's coming from."

"You do? I mean, of course _I_ understand but..."

"Not from personal experience, but it would be hard. I'm starting to feel this one myself," she assured him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Don, hands on his hips, looking into the sky. Finally, Alan shook his head with a heavy sigh.

"I'm going to finish dinner." Terry smiled slightly as he left. She knew both of them were having a hard time with Charlie's disappearance, andDon tended to be a little bit more hard-headed and confrontational. Seeing as Terry was pretty sure neither of the men had actually gone through a loss of their own, and Don wasn't constantly home, it wasn't surprising Alan was not totally sure how to deal with his son. Terry, however, had seen all the changes Don had gone through since the Academy. Of course, the fact that she was a profiler and worked to get inside his head -- whether he wanted her to or not -- certainly came in handy. She waited until she couldn't see Alan before making her way outdoors to confront Don.

**

* * *

**

"What was that all about?"

Her voice startled him out of his wishing. He grunted.

"Hey, I'm not here to nag," she promised, stepping in front of him. "I'm not that stupid."

"Doesn't matter."

"It matters to me. Talk to me, Don."

"Why? You came on business."

Terry took a deep breath. "I didn't have to." That got his attention pretty fast.

"What?"

"I didn't have to come, Don. I requested to come."

"You… Why?"

"David called me last week," she began, her voice sounding conversational instead of explanatory.

"And?"

Terry shrugged noncommittally. "You did a remarkable job tearing apart the office single-handedly. No one knew how to deal with you."

He glared and Terry knew it wasn't actually aimed at her. "And you did?"

"You forget we dated, Don, we planned. I know more of your deep dark secrets than you think."

He glanced up at the sky again. "I've never forgotten about us dating, Terry."

She couldn't stop the blush that stained her cheeks. "Point of the matter is he thought I could do something to make your lives more liveable."

"They weren't before?" Terry smiled indulgently.

"When you're ripping off heads at the office people don't generally grow to like you," she pointed out, as if she was talking to a young child. He cracked a small smile. They looked at each other silently for a few moments.

"I'm glad you're here," he admitted finally. Terry waved a hand dismissively.

"As if I'd do anything else."

**

* * *

**

Terry walked in the apartment door behind Don. She felt much more exhausted than she'd expected to and all but collapsed onto the couch.

"You just going to sleep like that?" He'd requested numerous times that she take the bed, but each time Terry had refused. She could deal with the stress of the cases. Don's missing brother meant a much less tolerant agent.

"Certainly feels like it. Thanks for letting me come." She felt the couch dip at her knees where her feet were hanging. Gingerly, he picked up her ankles and settled them in his lap, absently toying with the hem of her pant leg, brushing her skin periodically. Terry had to forcibly stomp down the desire seeping into her blood stream.

"I'm sorry about earlier, Terry. I'm not…"

"Actually angry, I know," she finished, her eyes closed and muscles slowly relaxing.

"It's just… He's been gone a month. People are… losing faith."

Her eyes popped open at that. "Are you?"

"I want to believe he's alive, Terry, but statistically…?"

She met his eyes with amusement.

"The two of you are more alike than you think," she said randomly. "Since when do you really care about statistics? And didn't he once say the same thing to you after you got shot?" It got a short reminiscing smile from him. She was glad he could look back with fond memories. Then his eyes glazed over.

"He was at school, teaching class or something. Amita said she went to ask him about something for her new doctorate and he wasn't in his office. She'd checked with Larry and his bike was still in the racks. That's when she knew he was gone. His classroom was a mess of math and paper, she said she hadn't seen Charlie ever that messy, and Charlie's usually a little scatterbrained. That's when we all knew he was gone." Terry absorbed this information to really file through later. Her mind was much to exhausted for any particular picking apart now.

"I remember the first time he came to visit at the Academy. The poor kid was fifteen and scared out of his wits. He was on a break of some sort... I was in the library, studying for some test or another. He walked into the library with Ross Marcel who was the biggest guy in the year totally dwarfed. They stopped at the end of the table and poor Charlie was too terrified of Marcel to even speak up. The big guy had to call me and let me know Charlie was standing there."

Terry smiled. "Mmm. Smart kid, I remember meeting him. We were in the middle of the grounds arguing about the usefulness of forensic profiling about a month before we started dating. Charlie just cleared his throat and asked matter-of-factly if I was your new girlfriend."

Don chuckled at the memory. They divided into their own worlds, remembering the man that was currently nowhere to be found.

"I miss him," Don said suddenly, just as Terry was drifting off to sleep.

"We'll find him. I'm sure with the number of times he's consulted on cases he's learned a few things about keeping himself alive with a kidnapper," she managed to mumble. His hand hadn't stopped its absent caress of her ankle and it was doing remarkable things for her previously tense muscles. His only answer was a hum and Terry found herself drifting off, despite her brave attempts not to. She was asleep before she could stop herself.

Don looked at her, completely asleep and relaxed on his couch and smiled fondly. She was a special woman and he'd only learned that since he'd been separated from her. Terry was right when she said he'd been a pain in the ass to his colleagues and he'd known it at the time, but no one had given him any news on how Charlie's case was going. Honestly, it had grated heavily on his nerves. Terry had been a welcome face.

He knew he could trust her, confide in her, and she wouldn't judge him. She knew he didn't like pity and didn't give him any. She treated him like any normal human where people at the office continually approached him with their condolences, as if Charlie was already dead. Terry had faith that his brother was still alive, and he was glad for the optimism.

He hoped she wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

* * *

**_With Don and Alan, remember that Alan is going though the loss of his son too and probably is not the best person to be giving Don sympathy at this point. Work with me, cuz I'm the author and I'm using creative licencing. So ha._**


	7. Taking Comfort

**Coming Home

* * *

**

Terry was jolted awake by a jerking around her legs. She was up like a shot, pulling her legs towards her until she could coherently identify what had tugged on them. What she found was a sleeping Don, thrashing about, regardless of his sitting position. She winced as she took in his position before focusing on the reason for his movement.

"No! Charlie!"

Immediately she was on her knees beside him, shaking his shoulders forcefully to wake him up. Quite obviously they'd both managed to fall asleep before changing or, for Don, making it to bed.

"Wake up Don!" she called. Finally, his eyes fluttered open, shining in fear and trepidation.

"He'd dead."

It was an outright statement that chilled Terry's blood. He'd said it with so much conviction she was almost ready to believe him. Her own personal opinions stated otherwise. Instead of questioning him, however – her brain was just as out of it as his most likely was – she stood up and held out a hand.

"Come on. You're going to hurt in the morning if you keep sleeping like that."

He took her hand and allowed her to guide him to his bedroom. There, she turned her back momentarily and ordered him into his pyjamas. His hands on her shoulders notified her of his completion and she turned under them. He was looking at her with an unidentifiable emotion in his eyes that made Terry's heart flutter pleasantly. Resolutely, she stomped on the emotion, willing it to still.

"Bed for you," she instructed softly, not letting his gaze go. When he didn't move, she sighed and pulled away from the warmth of his hands, turning down the bed linens and waiting stubbornly, hands on hips. He made his way slowly towards her and to the bed. He grasped her wrist when she tried to leave and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'll be back in a minute. I want you to tell me about your nightmare." Reluctantly, he let her go. Terry took her time changing into her own pyjamas and made her way back to his bedroom. Don had already fallen asleep by the time she returned to the room and Terry couldn't help letting her eyes wander his sleeping face.

He looked younger asleep, she noticed, much less stressed. It was too bad he couldn't be like that more often. She sat on his bed, the side he wasn't currently occupying, and leaned back against the headboard, watching him. The number of great moments they'd had together bombarded her exhausted brain and shocked it back to life. Instead of feeling as drowsy as moments before, she was suddenly awake, looking over the man that had been her partner.

Her brain rushed through a million different scenarios in the span of five minutes. Their Laundromat date, their 'study sessions' in the library – disregarding the rules and getting more study of anatomy than they should have – the moment she saw him walk into the LA office to be the leader of the team she'd been assigned to….

Then her mind settled on a memory much more recent. Two months ago she'd woken in the same bed, but wearing substantially less clothing than she was now. She actually hadn't regretted the night, only the timing. Knowing she wouldn't be able to face him in the morning, she'd left, leaving no note and no physical outward appearance she'd been there except for the fresh coffee in the maker.

It didn't mean she hadn't thought of him upon her move to Washington. Almost every time the phone rang without an identifiable number, her heart jumped into her throat hoping it wasn't a hospital calling to notify her Don was there and in bad condition. She didn't want to think about the possibility of, much like the Eppes family was in the process of, losing someone she loved.

It was an easy admission for her since she'd had the time away to think about it. Originally, it had been the driving force behind her call to him that had sparked their weekly contact and sporadic e-mails. Slowly the admission had become easier to live with, especially with him miles away in California. In a twisted way, it was a comfort to not see him every day.

Things like this made her change her mind.

**

* * *

**

Don awoke the next morning to Terry's sleeping face, and her body cuddled closer to his. However, he wasn't a passive participant in this. He'd managed to wrap his arms around her body, pulling her into his limbs as much as she pushed. He couldn't bring himself to move yet and contented himself with looking down at her.

When she'd shown up at the office, he'd been rather surprised. Why she'd come back to LA for a temporary assignment originally baffled him. He had faith that she wouldn't turn down the chance of coming back, but it seemed too soon to really trust her back. Yet, here she was, his pillar of strength come all the way from Washington to save his sorry hide… again.

Not that she'd travelled long distances to save him, but she'd saved him nonetheless. The number of times she'd caught him being less than impartial or making the evidence what he wanted it to be were numerous. That wasn't even beginning to go through their school days at the Academy where she'd studied with him until all hours of the morning until he understood exactly what every concept was.

If he was honest with himself, he loved her. Something in his heart had torn when she'd left. Remarkably enough, however, she'd managed to stitch the wound closed slowly and steadily with their calls and now her temporary transfer. Nonetheless, he was fairly positive she would never be able to heal it completely unless she moved back to LA and into his life for good.

Slowly, he pushed himself up on his elbow, glancing down to make sure she wasn't waking up. If there was a woman in this world that needed her sleep, Terry was it. He was almost out of the room before he turned back and rushed to the bedside before he could tell himself otherwise, kissing her forehead lightly. She shifted, but didn't wake. Instead, she turned over into his pillow, nestling her nose in the green of the cover. He smiled as he left to shower and get ready for the day.

**

* * *

**

It took Terry a few moments to remember the events of the previous night when she woke to find herself snuggled into something that smelled suspiciously like Don. However, when her awareness fully returned, she noticed he was nowhere in sight. Listening closely, she heard the shower and allowed herself a mental sigh. Before she could do much else, her phone rang.

"Lake," she answered, slightly out of breath from racing to the living room to dig up the device.

"Did I interrupt something?" Caleb's teasing voice spoke. Terry rolled her eyes, almost growling over the line.

"No, but you woke me up." Okay, that wasn't completely true, but he had dragged her out of the warmth of bed.

"I'm sorry," he apologized quickly, "but this couldn't wait."

"Shoot."

"We looked at purchases and names and found a match. Our friend Adam's been busy."

"Busy, how?"

"Computer after computer – parts and full – shipped to an address and charged to his credit card. This includes everything thought possible to keep these computers running for an extended period of time."

"You got an address?"

"You better believe it. Should I swing by and pick you up?"

Terry was already half way back into the bedroom, picking out her clothes for the day and, for the moment, disregarding a shower. She could just pull her hair back anyway.

"Yeah. You going to be long?"

"Ten minutes."

She'd let him know where she was staying in case of an emergency.

"Buy me breakfast?" she asked, hope lacing her voice. She wouldn't have time to throw something together to take with her. Heck, she wasn't going to have enough time to make the life-giving brew of coffee.

"And a coffee, I promise."

"You're a saint."

"Not yet. Maybe you could recommend it." Then there was silence.

"Listen, I know how much this case means to you, Terry. Promise me this doesn't mean you'll be rushing into things?"

She rolled her eyes as she attempted to pull her pants on without dislodging the phone from her shoulder.

"I promise. I just want this over with. The family doesn't deserve things running for this long." She could almost see him nodded on the other end of the phone.

"Be there soon."

"I'll be downstairs."

"Kay. See you soon."


	8. Apparition of Don's Mind

**Coming Home**

* * *

The house they approached was like any house in the neighbourhood. It looked simple, like any normal family would occupy it. However, Terry hoped differently. If there was one thing she wanted it was for this to be the house Charlie was in. She wasn't sure if she had the brain capacity to really work this case much longer without losing her objectivity. She would be jumping down people's throats like Don was by next week if this wasn't the place she was looking for. She and Caleb decided to go up first, calmly, and knocked on the door. 

"Hello?"

"Adam Kay?" Caleb spoke up.

"That's me."

"We have a few questions for you…" but before Caleb had even finished the sentence the man was off like a shot. Terry, who was paying attention to him and not the attempt to keep him calm, sped after him through the house. They raced out the back door and he tried to hop the fence. Terry pulled him down hard and cuffed him. Caleb wasn't far behind.

"Damn, girl, you're fast,"

Terry smiled at the compliment.

"Just because I moved doesn't mean I didn't keep up," she answered, dragging Kay off the ground. Caleb just shook his head in amazement and amusement.

**

* * *

**

"You've got thirty seconds to tell me where all this is going down and then we'll consider dealing," she growled out as she dragged him to the SUV. The suspect didn't speak. Terry shrugged, the picture of indifference.

"Alright. You can rot in jail for 25 to life, I don't care."

"That's pushing it, lady."

"With the charges piling up against you, I'd say it's pretty damn close. Tell me where Dannacher is and you'll get a good deal." Still he didn't speak.

"If the hostage dies, it's on your head," Terry tried again. "You're in as deep as the rest of them and are just as responsible for his murder."

"How…?"

"You arrested the brother of a federal agent. Probably not your smartest move."

"Federal agent?"

"Half the bureau wants to put this kidnapping on someone and it isn't just the LA branch. You've got hunters in Washington, New York, Indiana…" Terry let the sentence trail off. She knew that her words weren't the total truth, but the man in front of her probably wasn't bright enough to realize it.

"I don't know much about it. I was waiting for a part to fix a circuit board in Ray's computer…. Computers," he quickly amended seeing Terry's disbelieving face.

"You've got to know more than that. Where are the computers?"

He looked panicked for a minute.

"I want my attorney," he managed. Terry let out a breath and annoyance.

"You'd better hope he can do something for you."

**

* * *

**

Terry stood in the interrogation room, Caleb beside her and Adam Kay, with lawyer, across the table.

"I'll ask again, but if I have to ask you a fifth time, there won't be a deal. Where's Dr. Eppes and the rest of your friends," Terry growled out. This man, well his lawyer actually, was grating on her last nerves. The first thing the lawyer had done upon walking in the door was tell his client to shut up and sit still. Damn it.

"What are the terms?"

"Depends on the information we get but the longer the hostage is out there, the more likely he's dead. Then we've got your client on accessory to murder," Caleb spoke up and Terry tried not to flinch at the thought of Charlie Eppes dead.

"Haynsworth?" Caleb looked up at the intruder and then to Terry who nodded her head. She'd be okay without him.

"Look, this really was a coincidence, that the bank things fell in with the kidnapping, but the hacking, the pilfering of the money… they're felonies. I'm sure the prosecutor will be willing to bring down the charges if you're willing to help us out, Mr. Kay." Still there was silence. Terry had seen his house, watched him as terrified as he was to be shoved into the back of an FBI SUV.

"Dannacher told you that you were the weakest link, didn't he? He predicted that if they ever got caught you'd be the one to sing, right?" She could see the anger hardening Kay's eyes. She hadn't wanted to exploit the weakness and put pressure on a bleeding wound – it could very well be as dangerous for her as it was for his credibility – but this was getting old.

"Agent Lake…" But before the lawyer could finish, Adam Kay gave the table – metal and heavy – an almighty push at her. Terry gasped as the metal impacted her stomach and sent her overbalancing to the floor, knocking her side on the edge of the metal chair as she went. She cried out as pain seared her side. Interestingly enough, Adam Kay was down beside her, as well as his lawyer.

"I'm so sorry, Agent Lake, I didn't mean to lose my temper like that." To be honest, Terry was more winded than injured – though if she moved her body justso something protested and she was going to have to get them checked out – and waved him off.

"Then why'd you do it?" This was from his lawyer, now probably afraid he'd have to worry about a law suit on attacking a federal agent.

"She… she's right."

Terry tried to smile, but it was a pained one.

"Habit," she said with an ironic smile. "I'll be fine." Both men helped her to her feet as Caleb came rushing back in.

"Lake!"

"I'm good. Probably just a couple bruised ribs. I promise when we finish here I'll go get them looked at." Then she turned to Adam Kay, who was looking more than fearful. She sighed, unwittingly pulling on her side.

"Listen, I want a court appearance just as much as you. Here's the deal. You tell us everything you know and I'll do my best to pull your arrests down to kidnapping, minimum. I'll even drop any possibility of charges for what just happened." She knew she was going above and beyond, but all she wanted at this point, was Charlie back alive.

"Okay…"

**

* * *

**

Terry walked slowly on to the floor above hers, eyes peeled for Don. She found him, and the rest of his team, crowded into an interview/layout room. She slipped in silently; content to just watch him at work.

"Alright. We'll finish this up tomorrow. Everyone go home," he ordered. It wasn't until he turned around from the maps and pictures that he noticed her.

"Hey," he greeted softly.

"Hey," she replied. "Want to do me a favour?"

"For you, anything," he answered and she could see the sincerity in his eyes.

"Take me to the hospital?" Alarm spread over his face.

"It's nothing fatal. I got whacked with a table in interrogation today and I hit the edge of my chair pretty hard. I just want to make sure nothing's broken."

He couldn't help the smirk. "You promised Haynsworth you'd get it checked."

She blushed. He knew her way too well for her own good. She would have worked the rest of the day – and the rest of the week – without getting it looked at if she could help it.

"Alright." He kept a hand on the small of her back as they made it to his desk where he gathered up all of his things. He then replaced his hand and left it there until they got to his car. It was a feeling Terry hadn't wanted to deal with. She'd felt it last night when he'd wrapped his arms around her, she'd felt it years ago when he held her and she'd felt it two months ago when he'd loved her.

"Can I have details?"

She loved how he asked and didn't prod. They'd managed to fix things like that up. He didn't push, she didn't push, and it worked for both.

"Not much more to tell. I hit the nail a little too hard on the head. His only choice was to take his anger out on the table. There's nothing in those rooms, you know." The last was said with a teasing note, one he took in stride.

"How'd the table end up hitting you?"

"Not the table, the chair," she corrected, "and he pushed it away from him. Knocked me off balance and off my chair. I fell funny. Don't worry about it Don, I'm sure its nothing serious." Regardless of her reassurances, his face contorted in worry.

Terry rolled her eyes affectionately. "I'm letting you take me to the hospital, am I not?"

He gave her a tight smile to show that he conceded to her point. He pulled up to the hospital not long after.

"You don't have to come in if you don't want," she stated softly.

"I'm not letting you go alone. Who knows what the doctor will tell you and which parts you'll ignore."

Terry rolled her eyes good-naturedly, having hoped but not expected him to turn down the invitation.

They weren't long in the hospital. A couple of bruised ribs had been the diagnosis with the orders to be extremely careful and not do anything extensively strenuous. Terry wanted to groan. The words would send Don into overprotective mode, a notion she swore to do away with as soon as she got into the car.

"They're just bruised, you know," Terry said once they were on the road back to his apartment.

"Yeah…" The trail of his voice meant he was looking for an explanation.

"Meaning I'm not invalid. I can still take care of myself."

"Terry…"

"Don't, Don. Seriously, I'm good. I promise I'll be careful, but I'm not going to slow down because of a couple of bruised ribs."

He was silent, showing he really wasn't ready to just shrug off the injury. She wanted to roll her eyes.

"I promise. I'll even make sure to bring someone else with me when I go."

"I know I can't stop you from doing your job Terry."

She hated it when he spoke in that resigned tone of voice. Of course, she knew he wanted her to take the time off to heal. Her only strength was in Charlie, and her need to find him.

"Don, I would take the time off…"

His look told her he knew better. She did too.

"Okay, I wouldn't, but this case is important to me. I need to finish it for my own closure."

He shot her a confused look when they stopped at a red light.

"Just… trust me, okay? This is for me."

"Swear you'll be careful."

She smiled affectionately. "Of course I promise."

**

* * *

**

Terry woke again to groaning from Don's room. Slowly, she pulled herself off of the couch, out of the warm comfort of her blankets to his room. Sure enough, he was tossing and turning, obviously in the throws of a nightmare.

"Don, wake up," she said into the room. She didn't bother to keep her voice down. However, he didn't wake. She slowly made her way to his beside, where she settled herself on the edge. Terry shook her shoulder as she called his name again.

"Charlie! Terry!" Don sat upright with the force of the end of his nightmare.

"I'm here," she said immediately. He was still breathing heavily as he wrapped her in his arms. She winced as he squeezed her once, pressing on the bruise. She gasped softly before he relaxed his hold on her.

"God!"

Terry allowed herself a second to melt before her worry took over again.

"What happened?"

He didn't say anything, just continued to hold on tight. She allowed him his moment, wrapping his arms around him for his comfort as much as hers. Then she asked him again.

"I…Charlie…You…" He couldn't give her a complete coherent sentence.

"Breathe, Don. I'm here and we're going to find Charlie alive and well. Don't worry."

"Dead."

"No." Her vehemence startled him back to semi-coherence.

"Listen, Don. I'm here, alive and… well, injured, but I'm breathing. Charlie will be too, when we find him."

He settled back against the headboard, not releasing his grip on her. For a few minutes, she didn't protest, seeing his necessity to feel her alive. However, she soon felt herself drifting off to sleep.

"Don, I need to get back to bed."

"Stay."

"Don…"

"I'm sorry, Terry… it… it was bad." T

erry sighed as she relaxed against him again, her body stretched out along his. Her pulse was already jumping, her heart pumping fast against her ribs. She could feel the bruises stretching and his arm was pressing tightly against them, but Terry would allow herself a bit of discomfort if he would calm down.

"Can we at least lie comfortably?"

His eyes widened and he immediately shifted, letting her go for long enough to settle in the sheets and for her to find a more comfortable spot, one that didn't press on her ribs. Then his arms were around her again.

"Thank you for doing this," he said softly. She settled her head on his shoulder, for his comfort more than hers, and closed her eyes.

"Mm," was her only response as she drifted off to sleep.

Don stayed awake longer, worried about his nightmare and the worry about Charlie's life. It was bad enough his brother was missing, but then to have to worry about the death of Terry, a woman who had waltzed back into his life without warning – or if he was honest with himself, never left – was putting him on edge. Her body beside his was a welcome weight, one that seemed to hide the pictures of her bloody body from his mind when he closed his eyes. The last time he closed his eyes, the minutes before he slipped off to sleep, the weight of her head was settled on his shoulder and the warmth of her body next to his left his mind much clearer and sleep came easier.

* * *

**_Sorry about the awkwardness of most of this. Still hope it was a good combination of fluff and case and lordy I hope it makes sense. Let me know._**


	9. To the Rescue

**_AN: This is for the three people that reviewed tonight. I had a shitty night and it was nice to see there are still people out there who appreciate me. Thus, this chapter is for you guys. _**

**_There's some quality fluff at the beginning so I hope you enjoy. Oh, and if someone could write me a sugar sweet, give-you-diabetes-if-you-read-too-often DT story, I'd love you forever right now._**

**_Kavi

* * *

_**

**Coming Home

* * *

**

Terry woke before Don the next morning and meandered into the shower. While there, she considered Don's fear and how important it had now become to find Charlie. It gave her new determination to find the eccentric mathematician, for Amita, for Alan and for Don.

Stepping out of the shower and getting dressed, she belatedly realized that her ribs were going to stop her from doing a few things. She'd ignored the pull when she washed her hair, sucking in a breath and hoping it would pass soon. It did and she moved on with her morning routine. However, her bra was going to cause a problem and yanking the tangles out of her wet hair was not going to be a happy thing. Not to mention the difficulty in taping her ribs again. Reluctantly, she walked into the bedroom where Don was awake, but not out of bed. She looked at him sheepishly.

"You wouldn't be able to give me a hand here, would you?"

"Taping your ribs?"

Terry felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. "And a few other things…"

He didn't flinch or smirk, just nodded and pulled himself from the covers. "What's up?"

Her blush intensified.

"Um… I can't seem to…" She trailed off, motioning to her back. He was still confused. She sighed.

"My bra… behind my back…" His eyes lit up in understanding. He moved behind her, his hands creeping up the back of her shirt, unconsciously stroking her skin as he went. Her eyes closed unwittingly as his fingers deftly worked to hook the clasp together. He fixed the bottom hem of her blouse as he withdrew his hands, then faced her. Her eyes fluttered open and she gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks," she said softly. He nodded solemnly in acknowledgement.

"Unbutton your blouse." At her alarmed look he tried to placate her.

"I need to tape up your ribs," he explained. She nodded, her blush not leaving her face. She unbuttoned the shirt slowly and managed to get her one arm out of the sleeve. Her second arm caused problems. He saw them too and immediately moved to her side, guiding the cloth off of her arm. The bruises he saw made him suck in a breath of air.

"_Terr…_"

She flinched. She'd gotten a half decent look at them and knew they were beautifully purple. "That bad?"

His fingers trailed over the angry blue and black spots interspersed with yellow and green. Metal on muscle didn't work apparently. Terry resisted the urge to gasp as his fingers delicately wandered over the skin. She could feel the goose bumps rising on her flesh and closed her eyes at his touch. Her mind transported her back two months, when those same hands had stroked over that same area of her body with different results and for a different reason. Her eyes flew open when he pulled away.

"Be right back," he told her, moving towards the kitchen. They'd dropped everything in there the night before, Terry sore and Don worried, so much so they didn't really register much. He returned quickly and bandaged her ribs tightly before stepping away. Her blush didn't dissipate.

"Anything else?" He was being extremely accommodating and it set Terry's nerves on end. Sure, she expected him to be overprotective – regardless of the fact that he hadn't been there and in no way could have stopped it from happening – but this willingness to help, and her acquiescence, had her mind spinning. She shook her head after a moment and turned to head towards the kitchen. He rolled his eyes at her back and went to have his own shower.

When he entered the kitchen half an hour later, he'd brought her brush with him. He wasn't as thick as some liked to think. He'd seen – or understood – the knots in her hair and figured if she couldn't do up her bra, how on earth would she be able to brush her hair? Her back was to him anyway and from the way she was staring into her coffee he was sure she hadn't heard him. Delicately, he settled a hand on her head and pulled the brush through the tangled strands. Initially she stiffened out of shock but relaxed soon after.

"Thanks," she murmured and he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I'm not so out of it," he answered, voice teasing. She tipped her head back and smiled when she met his eyes. He dropped a kiss on her forehead affectionately and, before he could register the stunned look on her face, or she the longing in his eyes, he tipped her head forward again and worked through more of the tangles. When he was finished, he moved around and grinned at her.

"Let's head out. I'll buy you breakfast."

"Buy?" she asked suspiciously. When she lived in LA there'd been times she'd been invited by Don over to the Eppes house for breakfast. He smiled

"Buy," he affirmed. "Grab your stuff."

**

* * *

**

The phone call came half way through breakfast, when Terry had a forkful of scrabbled eggs seconds from her mouth. She groaned.

"Lake," she answered less than pleasantly.

"We think we've got them."

"Think, Haynsworth? We've got to do better than think."

"We're ninety percent sure. The guy tried to find his little buddy today. Surveillance followed them back to a suburban home. Says it looks like any other house would, but someone got a glimpse into the back yard. Apparently there's enough wire there to power all of LA," Caleb explained. Terry nodded, setting her fork on her plate and resting her head on her hand.

"What do we know?"

"Not if Dr. Eppes is in there or not. Do you want to know before we go in?"

"They're not going anywhere?"

"Not that I know of."

"Wait. I'm just at breakfast, I'll be about fifteen minutes. Then let's go see if we can close this bugger."

Caleb chuckled at her harsh words. "Sounds good."

"No one makes a move on that place until we're there. I don't want this going downhill."

"We've got it, Lake. Finish breakfast with lover boy and get your ass in here. You're not the only one that wants this done."

"So help me God, Haynsworth…" she started, but he'd already hung up. Don looked at her quizzically as she set the phone down again.

"We're almost done our case," she explained vaguely.

"The counterfeit one? With the banks?" She nodded as she ate. He grinned.

"Congrats."

"I'll be glad once we've got the guys cuffed."

His face turned concerned. "You watch those ribs though?"

"Yeah," she said softly, her face a smile of indulgence. "I always am."

He raised an eyebrow, stating, "You obviously weren't all that careful when you injured them, were you?"

She all but growled. "Eat. Happy Terry is one that has closed her case."

**

* * *

**

They arrived at the Bureau fifteen minutes later to SUVs loading with equipment. Terry found Caleb at the front doors overseeing the entire loading process.

"Big guns?" she inquired. Caleb's gaze shifted from her to Don and back again.

"We just don't want to take any chances."

"Okay. Don? I'll see you later?" she asked, turning to the man she would always consider her partner.

"Sure. Don't get hurt," he said, emphasizing his last three words. He squeezed her hand, a movement not caught by any bystanders, and entered the building.

"I want Charlie at home ASAP. Today is ideal."

"Assuming he has no injuries," Caleb pointed out, eyes covered in sunglasses as he watched the proceedings.

"Ideas?"

"Storm the place and get the good doctor out of there."

She raised an eyebrow at him over her own sunglasses. "Violent much?"

He grinned at the teasing tone. "Always. Shall we?"

**

* * *

**

The house was exactly how Caleb had described it, such that there was no way anyone would think to suspect anything illegal could be going on behind the closed door.

"You remember to stay back. The last thing I need is the Eppes family on my back if you get hurt again."

They'd been arguing about it since he'd brought up the fact that they'd have to storm the place. He didn't want her going in there already injured, but Terry was adamant about being there if they found Charlie. Sure, the professor had worked in the agency, but he didn't necessarily know everyone there. She argued it would be better for him if she was there as an already known. Reluctantly, Caleb had agreed on the condition that she not be involved in the actual front. Rolling her eyes, Terry had reluctantly agreed.

"Anybody finds Dr. Eppes, they are to report it immediately. Let's go."

Silently they moved to the doorway, other teams moving around the back and the windows looking for the occupants of the house. On Caleb's fingers – 3, 2, 1 – they broke down the door, bursting into the house and fanning to find the suspects. It was a blur of jackets and Kevlar vests, but Terry's mind wasn't on the suspects but the hostage they were harbouring.

"Where is he?" Her feet carried her towards the sound of the shout. Caleb had Raymond Dannacher in cuffs and up against the wall, front against the hard surface.

"Don't know what you're talking about," the man ground out.

"Got him!" someone yelled from the bowls of the house. Terry rocketed out of the room following the voice. For a moment, her humour took over and she felt the urge to play Marco Polo, but the moment she found the room, her calm-- or calm exterior since her stomach was doing flips reserved for Olympic gymnasts -- had returned.

After all, Charlie Eppes was lying on the floor, alive and shaking.


	10. Bittersweet Ending

**Coming Home

* * *

**

Dropping down beside him, and disregarding the pull of her ribs, Terry lifted Charlie's head off the concrete floor and into her lap. The poor man looked like he hadn't eaten in at least 2 days and was looking extremely weak. There was a scabbed gash on the side of his head and what looked to be a rather large goose egg on the back. He looked up at her tiredly, eyes widening when he recognized her face.

"Terry?"

"Yeah, Charlie. We've got you," she said, settling his head in her lap and waiting for the ambulance. The other agents had the rest of the kidnappers pinned down, including Dannacher, and it left Terry to stay with Charlie.

"Terry, 'm tired," he said, his body already relaxing.

"I know, Charlie, just stay with us for a little while longer, okay?" Terry pleaded, already pulling out her phone to try again. She didn't want him falling asleep with no food in him, regardless of how exhausted he was. It gave her reason to go digging in her pockets for the energy bar she usually kept there.

"Okay, Charlie, munch on this for me," she unwrapped the bar for him and held it up to his mouth. Greedily he took a bite and swallowed it. She laughed softly as she placed his hand around the bar.

"Eat slow, Charlie," she advised wisely. Another agent poked his head in.

"Agent Lake? We've got them all rounded up and cuffed." Terry nodded.

"Get them into the car. Come and get me when the EMTs get here," she instructed. The agent nodded and paused in the doorway.

"Should we be notifying Agent Eppes?" Terry nodded.

"When Dr. Eppes is on his way to the hospital, I'll call the family," she answered. "Right now, let's focus on getting him out of here." The agent nodded and went to look for the rescue personnel. She took a better closer look at the younger Eppes brother and almost winced as she looked over the bruises and scrapes from his time in captivity.

"Ma'am?" A paramedic was standing over her.

"Couple of bumps to the head and bruises and scrapes," she told them as they crouched down to look at the man. "Doesn't look like there's anything life threatening."

"We're still going to put him on a stretcher and take him in, just to make sure there's nothing internal." Terry nodded as they carefully lifted Charlie out of her lap. Caleb was beside her, holding out hand to help her up.

"Going to the hospital?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I have to call Don and let him know we've got Charlie." Caleb nodded, wrapping a friendly arm around her shoulders.

"You did good, Lake."

"I did _well_, Haynsworth," she corrected, nudging him. She'd loved her time back in LA and her colleague had been a big contributor to that enjoyment. Of course, the fact that he'd stayed her 'brother' since her first assignment really helped to ease the temporary transition. He smiled as they walked out to the SUV and climbed in. They drove to the hospital going over the case notes for any finishing touches.

"How are the ribs?"

"Stinging. Listen, I don't want to do the interrogation," she said confidently. It didn't mean she wasn't going to be in observation, she just didn't trust herself in the same room as the men that had kidnapped, and hurt and Eppes and ripped the hearts of his family to shreds. Caleb looked surprised.

"You sure?" Terry nodded.

"I'm not suicidal," she joked. Caleb looked out the windshield when he spoke again.

"Terry… What's with you and that family?" In the length of her TAD, all of three weeks, a lot had changed. She wasn't sure she was ready to plunge into the complicated relationship that was her and the Eppes family.

"Don and I dated in the Academy," she said by way of explanation. It was easier than telling the whole truth.

"Then we worked together up until about two months ago. We ended up keeping in touch… and here we are." Her statement was a double entendre as she pulled into a parking spot at the hospital. The two stepped out but Caleb didn't follow her.

"I'm going to head back, see if I can get a move on those interrogations. You going to be okay?" Terry smiled.

"Great. I'm just going to call Don and his dad before I go inside. Thanks." He smiled.

"Hey, if you're up for it later, want to get a drink with me?" Terry had seen this coming for a while.

"Rain check? There's a lot going on right now, a lot I have to sort out." Caleb nodded in understanding.

"I hope you decide to come back, Terr," he said, a moment that surprised her. He was gone before she could formulate a reply. Instead she punched Don's number on speed dial.

"Eppes."

"Look at your call display some time," she snapped. He chuckled, knowing she hated it when he answered his phone with that, knowing exactly who it was. She couldn't help the smile that flitted over her face at his chuckle. She'd worked hard to get him to come to terms with Charlie's disappearance. It had taken forever to get that sound from him.

"What's up, Terry." She took a deep breath.

"We've got him, Don. Charlie's at the hospital."

"What?"

"Charlie's safe at the hospital. I'm just outside about to go in. I thought you should know." Then things started to click in his head and she knew she was in for it.

"You were on the case. You got temporarily reassigned for that case."

"It was part of it, yes. I couldn't tell you." She crossed her fingers and toes hoping he'd understand.

"You and I need to talk, Miss Lake." She sighed, thankful he wasn't angry with her, just annoyed. He knew how the job worked just as well as she did.

"Just get your ass here. You're brother should be out of his check up momentarily. I'm not going to ask him anything about what happened until tomorrow."

"Thanks, Terry." She smiled.

"Always. Do you want to call your dad?"

"Yeah, on my way to the hospital. Let me know of any news."

"I will. See you in a bit." She clicked off, turned off her phone and walked into the hospital.

**

* * *

**

Don found Terry in the waiting room, her head back against the wall. He'd stopped to pick up his father on the way and both were anxious to hear about Charlie's condition.

"I called Amita. She should be here momentarily," Don said in greeting, taking a seat beside her. Terry smiled, though it was forced and painful. Charlie could be so dense sometimes.

"Ribs?" He didn't need to ask if they hurt. She grimaced.

"Yeah. Probably pulled on them a little too hard. It'll pass, I just took Aspirin."

"You should probably get them re-bandaged."

"Don, drop it."

"You're hurt…"

"Family of Dr. Eppes?" Alan was beside the doctor in a minute, guiding him over to Don and Terry, who had immediately stopped their bickering.

"He's fine. We're going to keep him here overnight for that bump on his head, but other than that he's going to need some recovery time with full meals and good sleep," he said. Both Alan and Don relaxed substantially at the news their beloved family member was going to be all right. Terry took the talking into her hands.

"Can we see him?" she asked. The doctor nodded and Terry stood with Don as the doctor led the way to Charlie's room.

"I'm going to wait for Amita," she said, hanging back. The Eppes men nodded and Alan continued but Don came back, brushing a kiss to her cheek that weakened her knees.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear before jogging after his father. "And get those ribs checked!" Terry smiled and affectionately shook her head as she reclaimed her chair to wait. It wasn't long before the black-haired woman came charging through the hospital doors. Terry rose to greet her.

"Amita, he's going to be just fine. Doctors say he's got a heck of a bump, but he'll be up an about in no time." Terry watched the other woman visibly deflate in relief.

"Can… Can we see him?"

"Don and Mr. Eppes are in there now," Terry responded as they walked off down the halls. Don and Alan were still by Charlie's bedside when Amita and Terry walked in, the former rushing to his bedside much faster than any normal student should. Terry and Alan exchanged knowing glances as she stepped up beside Don.

"Amita," Charlie said, sounding surprised.

"Thank God you're okay," she said, hands on his bed, but not touching the professor.

"A little sore and hungry, but physically I'm apparently fine." Terry tugged on Don's sleeve as she smiled an indication to leave the two alone. Don followed somewhat reluctantly. He sagged against the wall just outside.

"I can't believe you never told me you were assigned Charlie's case," he said softly. Terry blushed.

"I'm sorry. No one knew but the team I was working with, my director and your director. It was pure luck the other case I was down here for tied into this one." She knew she was starting to babble but she wasn't exactly sure if Don was mad at her or not. It made her nervous.

"David didn't know?"

"He thought I was down to bring you back to the land of the living," she confessed, looking at the floor. She felt him shift before she saw his shoes in front of her.

"Terry?" Reluctantly, she looked up.

"I'm glad you came," he told her, the raw honesty in his eyes shocking her. "I needed it." She played with her hands for a few moments, still unable to pull her gaze away.

"I had to do it," she blurted finally before she could stop herself.

"Had to?" Terry looked down again subtly refusing to answer his question.

"Answer me, Terry. Why did you have to come?"

She had less trouble staring down cold-blooded killer than she did Don Eppes and this moment was no different. How could she tell him that she hadn't thought of her husband once since she'd hung up the phone with David three weeks ago? How would she explain to him the feeling she had when he wrapped his body around her for comfort and warmth? How could she tell him she came for him?

His hands were rubbing her arms, a movement she hadn't seen. She'd left the bullet-proof vest she was wearing when the rescued Charlie in the SUV and had removed her dirty jacket as well, leaving her in the comfortable white tank top and thus her arms bare. Her knees all but melted at his hands and she had to forcefully tell them to keep her standing at least for a little while longer.

"Terry?" Then the answer hit her.

"I wouldn't be a very best friend if I wasn't there through the hardest times, would I?" She thought she saw something that resembled disappointment flit across his face but he hid it quickly enough that she wasn't confident in her observation. She had to get out of there, fast.

"I'm going to head back to the bureau. I left Haynsworth on interrogation and he can get a little out of hand." Both of them were able to see through the excuse but she needed to get away from him, from his proximity and the power he held over her. She poked her head back into the room to talk to Charlie.

"Thanks Terry," he said sincerely. She smiled affectionately.

"No problem. Try not to get yourself into trouble like this again, huh? You mean a lot to your family." Then she was gone.

**

* * *

**

When Caleb saw her at her desk he knew something was up. Was she seriously planning to return to Washington after this case? She'd be mental if she was and giving up something he knew mattered to her.

"Hey Lake." He could never understand exactly why they always called each other by their last names, but it worked for them and he wasn't going to question it.

"Hey."

"You look like your favourite toy was taken away. Want to talk about it?" She looked up at him as he sat in a chair he'd pulled up.

"Nah. Thanks for the offer though. How did things go?"

"They all lawyer-ed up pretty quick. We'll keep trying though." He paused. "Doesn't matter anyway. The evidence we've got is pretty conclusive." Terry couldn't help smiling at their success

"Still…" Caleb nodded.

"A confession would seal it in court. It's why we keep trying." Terry nodded, looking back down at the paperwork for the case piled up on her desk.

"You going back to Washington?" The question surprised her, not so much the question itself but who it was coming from.

"I've got a week to finish up all this paper then I head back," she answered, still not meeting his eyes.

"Ever thought of coming back?" Terry smiled fondly.

"A couple of times. I was happy here." Sensing this was about to get serious he ushered her into the elevator and around the corner to the small café there. She was lost in her own world most of the way/

"You were saying?" All he'd wanted was to be away from closely listening FBI ears. The last thing she needed was rumours about the office without any of them being true.

"I was happy here," she repeated.

He knew he was stepping into dangerous territory when he asked, "then why did you go?"

Terry didn't answer. He took a deep gulping breath.

"Why did you run?"

"Run? What gives you the idea that I was running?"

"If you were really happy, you wouldn't have left."

"My husband wanted to try again…"

"Terry, you were separated from him for almost four years. You had to know it wasn't what you wanted." She hung her head, loving and hating this man at the same time. He knew too much about her. Since their first case, they'd been close. It was an instant sibling connection that both ended up cherishing when Caleb's mother passed away and Terry's father had a heart attack, even if her father had made it through.

"What did you do your last night in LA?" His words brought her out of her reverie.

"What?"

"Three months ago, Terry, what happened that last night? Did you think about moving away to Washington? Did you wonder what was going to happen? Did you look forward to seeing your husband again?" The last night, before Don, she'd agonized over the move, worried about what was going to happen and…

Didn't look forward to seeing Andrew again.

Instead she'd spent the night reminiscing about her time in the FBI and reacquainting herself with her old Academy days as well. In more ways than one. She blushed as she remembered the night. She focused again to find Caleb grinning at her.

"Exactly what I thought. You don't want to go back, Terry."

"I can't stay here."

"You're being ridiculous."

"I can't do it, Caleb." The fact she called him by his first name silenced him more effectively than the conviction in her voice.

"I can't stay here and watch."

"So be a part of. Make the first move." She smiled sadly.

"I go back to Washington in a week. That's it." Then she left.


	11. Return Ticket

**Coming Home

* * *

**

Throughout the rest of the week, Terry avoided Don and did it quite well. She holed herself up with paperwork and didn't get back to the apartment until the latest possible hour where she just collapsed, asleep. Her ribs had slowly stopped being painful and she could do everything almost as if they were never bruised. He knew he had to do something. She was leaving the next day.

Around five he approached her, settling his hands gently on her tense shoulders.

"Come on, Terry. You've been finished that stuff for a few days. I want to spend my best friend's last night with her." Terry looked up, startled. They both knew she had no reason to refuse. Slowly, she placed the papers back in their folders and settled them comfortably on her temporary desk. Taking a deep breath she met his eyes.

"Okay."

They ordered Chinese delivery and he broke out a bottle of wine. They talked amicably and Terry pushed her worries to the back of her mind. After all, with the charm he was pouring on tonight, it was going to take all of her willpower to keep her desire at bay. The night continued in the same vein, though they had watched a movie or two and she ended up cuddled against his side. Finally, Terry deemed it was about time for bed. He stayed behind on the couch but called out to her before she made it to the hallway.

"Don't go back to Washington." The statement was made so forcefully Terry spun around to face him.

"What?"

"Don't go back to Washington. Stay here." She made her way to the end of the couch slowly, her mind racing over his words. She couldn't come up with a suitable response.

"Why?" Her heart was pounding as she looked at him, half of her hoping this was the moment she'd been waiting for since he re-entered her life in LA and half of her just tired of this. He looked at the coffee table, picking up his beer and starting to tear at the label. She moved and gently settled her hand over his, settling beside him and bringing his attention back to hers.

"Why shouldn't I go back to Washington?" Her eyes searched his though he stayed silent. She didn't remove her hand over his. Finally his eyes hardened in determination and she braced herself.

"Stay here with me." She expected some excuse, something about being his best friend and he needed her to be within walking distance for a while, but definitely not this. This was a new revelation.

"Pardon me?" Her voice made it a surprised statement rather than an offended one.

"Stay here with me," he repeated, dropping the beer label and grasping her hand in his.

"My plane leaves tomorrow and you spring this now?"

"I can't… You can't leave." Terry rolled her eyes, pulling her hand away and standing again.

"I'm not going to beat around the bush with you Eppes. Say it straight out because I'm getting tired of your game." He looked up at her, eyes pleading her not to make him expose himself.

"There's no one here but me," she said softly. When he still didn't say anything her shoulders sagged in defeat and she walked back towards the bedroom. When he finally figured out exactly what he wanted to say, she was already asleep and he didn't have the heart to wake her.

**

* * *

**

Terry awoke beside Don, still in her pyjamas. With a sigh, she stood and prepared herself for the day, calling Caleb while Don continued to sleep. She wanted to leave as quickly as possible, though she left him fresh coffee and some pancake mix already stirred up in the fridge. Caleb took her suitcase from her hands and loaded it into the back seat of the SUV.

"There's a few things I have to finish up at the office before I go," she said softly. He could hear the sadness in her voice as he placed a gentle hand on hers in her lap.

"I'm sorry, Terry." She gave him a small smile.

"You can't do anything, so don't try. I promise I won't cry on you." They continued the ride in virtual silence as Terry just looked out the window, watching the passing LA landscape. They even walked into the building and rode up the elevator in silence.

"Let me know if I can do anything, huh?" he requested when they stepped off.

"I will. Thanks. Let me just drop this stuff off with Merrick and we'll head to the airport." Caleb tried one last time.

"You sure you don't want Eppes to drive you?" The slump of her shoulders told him he'd crossed the line.

"I'm sure," she said, her voice tiny.

"Okay. I'll wait here for you." She smiled as she went off, the files in her arms. She dropped them off for filing before continuing to the director's office.

"Sir," she said as she knocked.

"Agent Lake, come on in." Terry didn't bother to sit down, hoping this meeting could be short.

"I just wanted to thank you for allowing me to take the case," she said sincerely. Merrick nodded before flipping open a file in front of him.

"Townsend's retiring," he said, as if it was any normal day. Terry didn't understand why he was telling her this.

"That's too bad, sir."

"I'm going to need someone good to run the team now." Then she had an inkling of where he was going.

"Haynsworth would be a brilliant leader," she tried but Merrick didn't seem to hear her.

"I called your director, asked if he'd mind you transferring back." Her mind spun. It sounded as if everything was already arranged.

"Sir?" Terry had to sit down. This was getting slightly overwhelming.

"We'll start the paperwork to get you back," he continued and she realized this time he was appealing to her. Terry thought about it for a moment. Her own team? Back in LA? She couldn't believe the possibilities. Of course, that also meant being around Don every day again, living in the same city as him. Could she handle that?

"With all due respect, can I sleep on it?" It was too much all at once. Her emotions were going haywire.

"Of course. I'll let Ginnever know you're thinking about it." She left, her mind spinning. Caleb was still sitting in the chair she'd left him in.

"Hey, you look stunned."

"They offered me a team leader position. Townsend's retiring." Caleb's face lit up.

"My team? That's awesome Terry!" She couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

"I… I told him I'd have to think about it," she said. Caleb nodded, though the smile didn't leave his face. She sighed.

"Let's go," she whispered, looking out over the bullpen as the elevator doors closed.

**

* * *

**

As Don woke up, he reached out instinctively for Terry, surprise and shocked into wakefulness when she wasn't there. He shot up in bed and searched the apartment not seeing her suitcase or any of her belongings. He found her note on the counter.

_Good morning, sleepyhead._

_Caleb's giving me a ride to the airport so don't worry about it. I had to stop off and finish a few things with Merrick before I went._

He could tell by the dots on the page just beside the next words she'd pondered long and hard about what to write.

_Thank you for letting me stay with you. I'm glad I could help get Charlie back to you guys. Don't lose him again, Don. I may not be able to fix all the pieces again._

_Good luck_

_Terry _

_PS: Pancake mix is in the fridge, you just have to fry it up._

He growled as he rushed back into his bedroom, checking the time on his alarm clock as he did. Her plane was leaving in an hour and half. He swore as he raced around his apartment to get ready and rush to the airport, hopefully before she'd even checked in. He made it just as she was getting out of the check in line. She looked up, startled.

"Don, what are you doing here?" She'd said goodbye to Caleb before she'd checked in. He'd already left.

"You can't go." She sighed and he could suddenly see how tired she was.

"You've mentioned that," she answered, trying to brush past him, he caught her arm and pulled her around the corner. She tried, though not hard, to pull her arm out of his grip. When she gave up, she sagged against the wall.

"I can't do this, Don." He gently settled his hands around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

"I need you here, Terry." She tried to fight back the tears that flooded her eyes and was thankful he had his head on hers, burying her face in his throat. Unfortunately for her, it meant he could feel the salty liquid when it spilled down her cheeks. He pulled away to look at her face his emotions bared to her.

"I need you here with me." She wanted that to be enough for her, enough to make her accept Merrick's offer and stay in LA with Don, but she needed more. She couldn't sit on the sidelines as the best friend and see him every day.

"Why?" His hands were brushing the tears off her cheeks and she tried to focus on him and not the gentleness of his hands.

"I can't be without you." Her breath hitched in her throat.

"I need you beside me, Terry, now and forever." The tears started flowing down her cheeks in earnest as her body shook with suppressed sobs.

"I love you." She flung her arms around his neck and started sobbing into his shoulder while he clung to her, holding her tight. When she finally settled down after a few minutes he pulled back to look at her.

"Does that mean you'll stay?"

"I have to go back to Washington and clean up some loose ends," she answered cryptically as she grinned.

"Loose ends?"

"Oh, and I'll have to call Merrick and tell him, too…" she was babbling happily and he didn't have the heart to really stop her. Wiping her eyes with her hands, she pulled away fully, picking up the carry on bag she'd dropped when she'd launched herself at him.

"I have to catch my flight," she said, her eyes sparkling.

"Stay."

"I wish I could, Don. Loose ends, remember?"

"Are you always going to be this vague?" She only smiled and slipped out of his arms towards security. Suddenly she stopped and strode purposely back to him, grabbing his neck in one hand and pulling her lips down to his. He responded fervently to her kiss, stunned when she pulled away, licking her lips happily.

"If that's not incentive to return, I don't know what is," she said blissfully. "I'll call you when I land in Dulles." He could only stand stunned as she stepped into the security line. He watched until she was out of sight before he dazedly turned back to his car. He was half way back to the office when his phone rang.

"Eppes."

"Caller display," she said, the taunt much more good-natured. He couldn't help the smile at her voice.

"What can I do for you?" He asked, totally prepared to pull a u-turn to head back to the airport.

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you I love you," she said breezily. He chuckled.

"With that goodbye, I certainly hope so," he responded already assuming she would be on a flight to LA in two weeks.

"I'll call you when I'm in Dulles," she promised again. He could hear the smile in her voice and one blossomed over his face to match.

"Okay. Have a safe flight."

"I'll try. Love you.

"Love you too."


	12. Home Again

**Coming Home**

* * *

Two weeks had passed rather quickly for Don, even as he waited for Terry's eminent return. The cases that had passed over his desk had been quick ones and he was just stuck doing paperwork. He was startled out of his work when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. 

"I know you wanted to pick me up from the airport, but I couldn't help surprising you," she said. He was standing before she'd finished her sentence and wrapped her in a tight embrace just as she finished. She laughed into his throat.

"You didn't miss me, did you?" Terry joked. He grinned when he pulled away.

"Only all the time," he answered softly.

"Don…" David started, coming up from behind the standing agent. Don pulled away and faced the other agent. Terry took a moment to look around the floor again and smiled at the way her heart settled as she looked at the bustling agents. She hadn't felt that way in a long time. She was startled back to Don when he took her hand lightly.

"I have to run out to a scene. You have your stuff?" She smiled.

"And the key you didn't take back last time. Haynsworth picked me up so I'll get him to take me by your apartment," she responded. Don smiled.

"Our apartment, if you're up for it." She grinned, giving her answer.

"Terry!" She turned. Charlie was there, eyes wide. David, as surprised to hear the name as Charlie was to see the woman, stepped around Don.

"I didn't know you were coming back. Another temporary assignment?" Charlie eyed his brother warily. Don had been much happier of the last two weeks than he'd ever seen and, looking between the agents, he had an inkling as to why.

"Not this time. I'm down a floor with my team," she answered and couldn't make the grin leave her face as she said the words. She was staying in LA.

"Congratulations!" David said, holding out a hand for her to shake. She then hugged Charlie.

"Well, I'm going to go get moved in. I don't start until Monday." All three men looked at the small calendar on Don's desk. It was Friday.

"You have the whole weekend?" Don asked, his mind running a mile a minute. She laughed.

"Yup. See you guys later." And she was gone.

"What was that all about?" Charlie asked, noticing the stupid grin on his brother's face.

"Politics, Charlie. Office politics."

**

* * *

**

Terry sighed as she stepped into Don's apartment and felt herself relax substantially. Caleb followed behind, bringing her suitcase.

"Where's the rest of your stuff?"

"Some of it's coming here, some of it's going to my parents. They're going to hold on to it for a while though I'm sure some of the pieces will end up with my siblings," Terry answered as she led the way to the bedroom. He dropped the suitcase on the bed.

"You're staying here?" Terry had forgotten she hadn't told Caleb about the moment at the airport.

"Yeah. I don't see the point in getting my own." Caleb grinned at her when the implication sunk in.

"Congratulations. I'll see you on Monday." He hugged her briefly and left.

**

* * *

**

Don came home much earlier than expected. Terry was in the kitchen, humming along to the radio when he walked in, draping his coat over a kitchen chair before wrapping his arms around her and nibbling on her ear. She jumped and set the knife she was using on the counter as her knees gave out.

"Hello to you too," she managed as she spun and fastened her lips to his.

"That's quite the hello," he responded when they broke apart. She giggled.

"Go get changed," she instructed before waving around at the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready."

"You just got off a plane and you cooked dinner?" She grinned and winked at him.

"I have to earn my keep after all," she said with a coquettish grin. He pulled her against him again and trailed his mouth along her jaw as Terry tipped her head back with a contented purr.

"You sure it can't wait? I haven't welcomed you back properly," he mumbled against her neck. She laughed as she pulled his face up to hers.

"I'm sure. You can welcome me back later, I promise." He took a moment to just hold her.

"I love you. I don't know why I never told you," he said finally. She looked up at him.

"It wasn't right for us at the time, Don. We both had our careers to consider. Plus, why does it matter? We're here now, right?" He kissed her nose lightly.

"You are a smart woman," he said as he pulled away. Terry slouched against the counter as he walked off, a definite spring in his step.

The intricacies had been sorted out on the phone over the last two weeks, though she'd never told him when she was coming back or if she was working or not. All he'd cared about was having her beside him and quite frankly, if it wasn't for her rational brain, she wouldn't have left LA two weeks ago.

She was going to live with him. They'd already done it for three weeks so it was virtually pointless for her to get her own apartment. Work had been arranged as soon as she landed in Dulles and placed a call to both Merrick and Ginnever about the transfer. Her parents had been more than willing to store some of her furniture until she figured out if she needed the pieces or not. He hadn't emerged when she was finished preparing dinner so she moved to the living room window, looking out over the city – or at least what she could see of it. It was where he found her a few minutes later.

"You okay?" She smiled over her shoulder.

"Perfect," she answered as he wrapped her in his arms again. He smiled and kissed her hair.

"Good."

And they stood their, dinner getting cold in the kitchen, looking out over the street below Terry found she was at home.

* * *

**_I have a sequel idea... let me know if you want it. It's a crossover for warning..._**


End file.
